Petunia plant named ‘X00-154-1’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Petunia  plant named ‘X00-154-1’, characterized by its compact, mounded and outwardly spreading plant habit; freely and continuous branching habit; small leaf size; numerous small violet-colored flowers; and resistance to Botrytis and Powdery Mildew.

Botanical classification: Petunia×hybrida cultivar X00-154-1.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant, botanically known as Petunia×hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name X00-154-1.

The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Cobbitty, New South Wales, Australia. The objective of the breeding program is to create outwardly spreading Petunias with numerous small flowers with attractive flower colors.

The new Petunia originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in 1999 of a proprietary Petunia selection identified as X99.23.9, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary Petunia selection identified as X99.27.1, not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The new Petunia was selected as a single plant from the resulting progeny of the cross-pollination by the Inventor in 1999, in Cobbitty, New South Wales, Australia, on the basis of its outwardly spreading habit and numerous small flowers.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by vegetative cuttings taken in Cobbitty, New South Wales, Australia since 2000 has shown that the unique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar X00-154-1 have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘X00-154-l’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘X00-154-1’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Compact, mounded and outwardly spreading plant habit.

2. Freely branching habit.

3. Small leaf size.

4. Numerous small violet-colored flowers.

5. Resistant to Botrytis and Powdery Mildew.

Compared to plants of the female parent, plants of the new Petunia are more mounded, have smaller flowers and differ in flower color. Compared to plants of the male parent, plants of the new Petunia are larger, have larger flowers and differ in flower color.

Plants of the new Petunia can be compared to plants of the cultivar MP7, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,819. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Cobbitty, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Petunia differed from plants of the cultivar MP7 in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Petunia were larger than plants of the cultivar MP7.

2. Plants of the new Petunia had larger flowers than plants of the cultivar MP7.

3. Plants of the new Petunia and the cultivar MP7 differed in flower color.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Petunia.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘X00-154-1’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view of typical flower buds, developing flowers, open flowers and the upper and lower surfaces of typical leaves of ‘X00-154-1’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Lompoc, Calif., under commercial practice during the summer in a polycarbonate-covered greenhouse with day temperatures about 21 to 27° C., night temperatures about 16 to 18° C. and light levels about 5,000 to 9,000 foot-candles. Plants were grown with one rooted cutting per 15.25-cm container for about 11 weeks. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

Botanical classification: Petunia×hybrida cultivar X00-154-1.

Parentage:

Female parent.—Proprietary Petunia selection identified as X99.23.9, not patented.

Male parent.—Proprietary Petunia selection identified as X99.27.1, not patented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Vegetative cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About 14 days at 22° C.

Time to develop roots.—About 28 days at 22° C.

Root description.—Fine, fibrous, whitish in color.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching, dense.

Plant description:

Form.—Annual flowering plant; indeterminate; compact; initially upright, then mounded and outwardly spreading to low trailing; plants eventually becoming hemispherical in shape. Vigorous. Freely basal branching with about 24 main lateral branches per plant with lateral branches potentially forming at every node.

Usage.—Appropriate for hanging baskets, window boxes, patio containers and landscape applications.

Plant height.—About 15 cm.

Plant diameter.—About 62 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 32 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Internode length: About 1.9 cm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 144B.

Foliage description.—Arrangement, before flowering: Alternate, simple. Arrangement, when flowering: Opposite, simple. Length: About 3.2 cm. Width: About 2.2 cm. Shape: Elliptical. Apex: Broadly acute to rounded. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Glandular, viscid; pubescent. Venation pattern: Pinnate. Color: Young foliage, upper surface: 146B. Young foliage, lower surface: 147C. Fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 144A. Fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 146C. Venation, upper surface: 147D. Venation, lower surface: 147C to 147D. Petiole length: About 3.5 mm. Petiole diameter: About 2 mm. Petiole color: 145A.

Flower description:

Flower type and habit.—Small salverform flowers; flowers face mostly upward or outward; single, axillary. Flowers persistent. Freely flowering, typically about 600 open flowers and flower buds per plant.

Natural flowering season.—Long day responsive; spring until frost in the autumn; flowering continuous during the flowering period. Flower longevity on the plant: About 5 to 7 days.

Fragrance.—None detected.

Flower size.—Diameter: About 3.75 cm. Tube length: About 3 cm. Throat diameter, distal end: About 1.1 cm. Tube diameter, proximal end: About 3 mm.

Flower buds.—Length: About 3 cm. Diameter: Apex: About 5 mm. Base: About 3 mm. Shape: Elongated oblong with ruffled apices. Color: 85D.

Corolla.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five petals, fused into flared trumpet with distinct clefts between petal lobes. Petal length from throat: About 1.6 cm. Petal width: About 1.7 cm. Petal shape: Roughly spatulate or fan-shaped. Petal apex: Rounded. Petal margin: Entire; slightly ruffled. Petal texture: Smooth, velvety. Color: Petal, upper surface, when opening: 80B. Petal, lower surface, when opening: 84D. Petal, upper surface, fully opened: 84A to 85A; color fading towards 85A to 85B with subsequent development. Petal, lower surface, fully opened: 85D. Flower throat (inside): 157B to 157C. Flower tube (outside): 157A. Venation, upper petal surface: 84A. Venation, lower petal surface: 85D. Venation, throat: 145C. Venation, tube: 145A.

Sepals.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five sepals fused at base, star-shaped. Length: About 1 cm. Width: About 2 mm. Shape: Ligulate. Apex: Rounded. Margin: Entire. Texture, both surfaces: Glandular, viscid. Color: Upper surface: 146A. Lower surface: 146B to 146C.

Peduncles.—Length: About 2.9 cm. Width: About 1.25 mm. Angle: About 45° to the stem. Strength: Moderately strong; wiry. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 144A.

Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity/arrangement: Five, adnate to corolla tube. Anther shape: Ovoid. Anther length: About 1 mm. Anther color: 155A. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: 155D. Pistils: Quantity: One. Pistil length: About 1.8 cm. Stigma shape: Rounded, flattened. Stigma color: 146A. Style length: About 1.5 cm. Style color: 145D. Ovary color: 145A.

Fruit/seed.—Fruit and seed production has not been observed.

Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Petunia have been observed to have good resistance to Botrytis and Powdery Mildew. Plants of the new Petunia have not been noted to be resistant to pests common to Petunia. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named ‘X00-154-1’, as illustrated and described. 